Access to Prescription Medications

Physicians have traditionally been gatekeepers to prescription medications. Their assessment of patients’ risk-benefit profile, for example, dictates their access to these medications—sometimes controversially, as in the current opioid epidemic. More recently, escalating prices, formulary restrictions, and other clinician-prescribers have reshaped physicians’ roles. This month’s issue explores these changes and strategies for improving access to medications patients need. 

Volume 21, Number 8: E625-708 Full Issue PDF